By Ray King
After an extensive discussion, members of the Economic Development Corp. of Jefferson County voted no to buying additional property near the site of the proposed natural gas to liquid fuel plant in the northern part of the county.
The group, commonly called the tax board, administers the funds collected from a three-eighths cent tax for economic development that Jefferson County voters approved years ago. That tax was collected for seven years and is no longer in effect.
Scott McGeorge, chairman of the group, explained their action.
The land the corporation was considering buying consisted of 72.5 acres and was priced at just under $1 million. It is currently being leased by ESP (Energy Security Partners), the group behind the plant proposal.
Production of the gas to liquid fuel process is expected to start in 2030.
In 2016, the corporation spent $3.924 million to purchase the land for the project which, based on a timeline at that time, was expected to already be producing liquid fuel from natural gas.
